Other things I'm having to get used to are not tipping and everything being so expensive! I've been told that waiters and bartenders get paid very well so your "tip" is already included in the cost of the food/drinks. If you have a nice meal it is nice to "round up" to leave a small tip (2-10 CHF depending on the bill) for the waiter, but no tip is required. Also, everything is expensive here. If you sit down at a restaurant (even for a small lunch) it will cost at least 25 CHF. The grocery store and take away lunch places are much more reasonable, but still more expensive than the U.S.
The biggest expense here is renting an apartment. I spent all week searching for apartments, visiting about 12 places and spending countless hours doing online searches. I finally narrowed it down to the area I want to be in, which is called Seefeld. This area is right on the lake and many expats live there. It is also one of the more expensive areas to live. On Thursday night I visited an apartment that I fell in love with. I put in an application Friday, and am waiting to hear back. Renting an apartment in Zurich is a competitive business. There are too many people for the number of apartments, making it very difficult to actually get a place. I've heard that if foreigners don't have a relocation agent they often won't even be considered. Luckily I have an agent that Deloitte hired to help me out.
Since my week was spent engrossed in apartment searches and trying to get a cell phone, by Friday night I was ready for some relaxation. Katie Lawrence (a friend from Deloitte in Cincinnati), "introduced" me to friends of hers that live in Zurich that she had met while living in Bermuda. I went to dinner with them and their neighbors Friday evening in the Old Town area and then went out for drinks afterwards. We had a great time. Katie's friends are both from Canada and their neighbors were from Australia and New Zealand. They gave me a bunch of tips about Zurich and things to do/places to see.
Saturday I tackled the laundry. Thanks to google translator I figured out how to work my washing/drying machine! The drying lacks a little to be desired. I ran an extra dry cycle and the clothes were still a little damp. I hung them throughout the bathroom to finish drying:
I also had to go to the grocery Saturday since all the shops are closed on Sundays (another thing that takes some getting used to). I then went to church. I thought I'd read online that this church nearby (St. Peter and Paul) had an english mass at 4:30 on Saturdays...I guess I read wrong. It was still a beautiful church and I could at least follow along with some prayers although I understood none of the readings or homily. Here is a picture of the outside of the church:
I had heard of an expat get-together at a bar in Seefeld Saturday night and decided to go to see if I could meet some new people. There are many expat websites that I've been exploring this week. A small group had formed by the time I arrived and everyone was really nice. It was a very international group (typical for Zurich). There were some Swiss, Germans, Americans, and French there and everyone spoke english. A couple of us exchanged email addresses and are going to meet up again soon.
When I woke up on Sunday morning it was raining...again...It has rained at some point every day since last Sunday. Saturday night I sprinted from the tram stop to my apartment door because it was pouring and I hadn't taken my umbrella! So, I decided to hop on the tram and head down to the Old Town again and walk around a bit. By the time I got down there the rain had let up. I really love this area as there are no cars allowed on the tiny little streets and its all cobblestone walkways. There are lots of shops, restaurants and bars. Of course all the shops were closed, but it was nice to window shop.
Here is the Spanish restaurant we went to Friday night. The paella was very yummy!
Also in the Old Town I saw a fondue restaurant for the first time since I've been here. Don't ask me what the name (Swiss Chuchi) means.
Since it was no longer raining I decided to walk home instead of taking the tram. Here were a few of the beautiful sights along the way:
The flag next to the Swiss flag is the flag for the Canton of Zurich.
When I got close to my apartment I stopped at a bakery and treated myself to a croissant for breakfast and a cake with strawberries for a Sunday afternoon delight. Jean-Marie Roux (my french "father") always went to the pastry shop on Sunday mornings and would get us each a breakfast pastry and a dessert of our choice. I really like that tradition and think I am going to continue it here as well.
Glad you're finding an apartment Jenna! I heard the same thing from a friend here. FYI this friend is a new postdoc fellow in my department, and he lived in Zurich for the past few years. If you have any questions, I'd be happy to ask him for you! Cheers :)
ReplyDeleteYou can send us some of that rain. Our ground here is already dry and cracking. Janelle had the same results with the dryers in Ireland. She and Brenna always had clothes hanging all over the apartment drying.
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